Process of spinning flax and similar fibers



April 11, 1944. A. JOB 2,346,585"

PROCESS OF SPINNING FLAX AND SIMILAR FIBERS Filed Dec. 2. 1941- s Sheets-Sheet 1 IIII/IIIIII/III,

I HRTHUR JOB INVENTOR 7 BY QN Q2 April 11, 1944.

A. JOB PROCESS OF SIINNING ELAX AND SIM ILAR FIBERS Filed Dec. 2, 194;.

:5 sheets-sheet 2 u /7 INVENTOR HRTHUR J'OB BY I A ORNEY April 11, 1944. JOB

PROCESS-OF summer IFLAX AND SIMILAR FIBERS Filed Dec. 2, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR HRTHUR JOB 7/// Wu I ew G.

Patented Apr. 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE rnocnss or srmgg lgmx aNn Arthur Job, Providence, 1:. 1., minor 1 sin Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application December 2,1941, SerialNo. 421,26: 7 Claims. (01. 57-156) The invention relates to the art of spinning yarn and more A particularly to an improved method of spinning of flax and similar fibers, a machine for carrying same into practice, and the product resulting therefrom.

With particular reference to the spinning of flax in the production of linen yarns it has heretofore been the custom to utilize the fibers of partly matured flax plants, grown especially for fibers and not for seed. Flax plants intended for such use are generally planted in the spring of the year and are harvested usually some. time in the following July. At this stage the flax plants are not fully. matured and" the fibers thereof have not yet fullydeveloped. .The flax straw resulting from such partiymatured flax plants is then subjected to the so-called retting, or in other words, is immersed in water fora definite period as for instance ten days. This retting of the flex straw develops a bacterial process which serves to dissolve the pectins or gum located externally of and between the fibers and thereby loosens the fibers by degumming the straw as stated. The aforesaid retting does not afiect the internal gum located between the fibrils so that the latter are not degummed at all. At the end of the retting step the degummed straw stalks are dried and in this condition are decorticated to break up the pith and separate it from the fibers. For high grade linens the expensive hackiing process is used and for low grade linens and tows softeners are used. The resulting chips of broken pith are generally from one half 'to two inches in length, and a substantial part of said broken pith chips remain attached to the fibers spinning machine of simple construction for Another object of the invention is to provide a novel linen yarn made from the fibers of fully matured flax plants: and possessing all of the inherent characteristics of existing linen yams of the tow type to an equal or superior degree.

The invention further contemplates a'novel Fig.2 is a fragmentary front elevation of a novel spinning machine for spinning the novelyflm;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation thereof on the line 3-: of Fig. 2;

which themselves are oftenbroken by this dey corticating treatment.

The invention has for its object to provide a novel process of producing linen yarn from the fibers of fully matured flax plants grown primarily for the production of flax seed and heretofore otherwise regarded as waste having little or no commercial value.

The invention contemplates a novel process in which the objections incidentalto the existing methods such as the onerous, expensive and slow step of retting are avoided and whereby the time element is reduced to a minimum.

Furthermore, the invention has for its object to provide a novel process whereby the e ternal gum between the fibers and the internal between the fibrils are both partly removed to providepartly degummed flax at a certain intermediate point of the spinning process, particularly when in the form of a roving.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view of said spinning machine;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the drawing cylinders or rolls included in the novel spinning machine, and- Fig. 6 is a detail view of a novel spool on which the roving is wound in the form of cheeses to permit the latter to be easily removed at will.

In the production of the novel linen yarn the flax plants which heretofore have been grown primarily for the production of flax seed, are planted preferably in the spring of the year and are harvested when the plants withthe seed therein have fully matured which generally occurs at the end of August or the beginning of September after planting. The harvested flax plants are dried and threshed in any conventional manner to recover the seed, and the re-- suiting flax straw is decorticated in a special manner, for instance, by being passed through a breaker A to preserve the fibers and to remove the pith. The decorticating' of the straw may be accomplished by any appropriate means.

The fibers resulting from the aforesaid decortieating of the flax straw are carded, for instance,

by being fed into a conventional flax carding machine B, to eliminate the major part of any remaining pith chips and any short fibers as well as dirt. The carding of the fibers forms the latter intosllvers which are fedinto a conventional drawing frame C for-"doubling to convert a plurality oi siivers, as for instance, three or four slivers into one sliver or ribbon in the well-known way.

' The sliver from the drawing frame C is preferably combed in a special and novel manner preferably by means of a comber D which forms the subject matter. of another application to be filed by me. After having been combed as stated, the resulting sliver is put through conventional drawing frames in a plurality of successive steps, as by being passed through three drawing frames C, C, and C and is then fed into a conventional roving frame E and the roving is angularly wound on spools to form what are technically known as cheeses. The spools of the roving frame preferably are however specially constructed to permit the ready removal of the cheeses therefrom for chemical treatment. For instance, one end fiange a of the spools b may be removablyconnected with the latter by means of a bayonet joint c, as shown in Fig. 6.

'The chemical treatment above referred to may I be carried out in a conventional dying kier F for yarn, and consists in boiling the cheeses in an alkaline solution with or without pressure for a- .predetermined period of time, as for instance,

approximately one hour. In practice it has been found satisfactory to use about twenty-five pounds of caustic soda for each one hundred pounds of roving, with about fifteen pounds of caustic soda for each one hundred pounds of roving producing excellent results. The application of the aforesaid caustic treatment to the cheeses at this stage of the spinning process is of importance to the performance of the fibers in the final steps of the spinning operation. The caustic treatment of the cheeses is carried to a point where the fibers are degummed so that under a heavy pull the cells of the fibrils will glide on one another.. Incidentally the fibers will be partly bleached by removing some of thebrown and green coloring therefrom. The treated cheeses are then washed in hot water containing a small quantity of NazCO: to wash out the caustic. After having been washed the cheeses are put into a bath of hot water, preferably rendered slightly alkaline and preferably mounted on the spinning machine G and having a temperature such as to maintain the gum remaining in the fibers in a soaked and plastic condition. It has been found that hot water having a temperature ranging from 150 F. to 160 F. produces the desired results.

At this point it may be stated that there are two conventional methods of spinning: A dry method and a wet method. In the conventional dry method the roving is simply taken from a dry spool and spun while dry. The conventional wet method consists in taking the same dry spool and-passing the roving therefrom through a bath 3 of water before it reaches the drawing cylinders."

The wet method of spinning is superior because it produces a smoother and somewhat stronger yarn than is obtained with this d y method of spinning. It is to be distinctly understood, however, that as a result of the rettina to which the flax plant has been subjected the conventional linen roving which passes through the aforesaid processes of spinning has practically no gum between the fibers whereas the gum betweenv the fibrils is not dissolved at all in the short passage through the bath.

In the instant case on the contrary both the fibers and the fibrils are partially degummed and intentionally so .(i, e., the gum is dissolved), and the wet method of spinning and the drawing-step thereof are fundamentally different. In carrying out the present novel method of spinning, the rovings are unwound from the immersed cheeses and by means of feed rolls and drawing rolls in contiguous relation in the spinning machine (3 the cells in contradistinction to the fibrils are subjected to intensive drawing forces whereby the partly gummed cells and fibers are caused to eflectively glide on one another. In actual practice the drawing rolls are of a relatively larger diameter than the feed rolls because of the fact that they have to be strong enough to resist the stresses due to the large weight they have to support. The intensive drawing action is eflected over a comparatively short distance as for example two inches, or, in other words, less than the length ofthe greater number of fibers being fed to the drawing rolls; that is to say, the fibers being fed and drawn are longer than the distance between the points of contact between the drawing instrumentalities. the conventional methods of spinning flax the drawing forces are exerted on the fibers, and not on the cells as in the instant novel method, and

rolls whereas in the new spinning machine the distance between said blghts. indicated by the lines A A and 3-3 in Fig. 4, is less than about four inches and is preferably about two to about three inches. As a result of' the novel procedure the intensively drawn fibrils and cells being still gummy stick to each other and as the spinning operation is completed provide a superior partly degummed linen yarn made from fiax fibers of a type which heretofore has been considered as unfit for such purpose and generally has been regarded as .a by-product of flax seed producing fiax plants and having little or no commercial value.

Subsequent to the spinning operations the spun partly degummed yarn preferably after having been dried for instance in a suitable drying oven, may be woven into fabric on a suitable loom H. In some instances the woven fabric of partly degummed yarn may be fully degummed in a suitable bath I, or its equivalent.

The spinning operations heretofore described may be performed in any convenient manner and by means of any suitable mechanism and preferably are carried out by means of the novel ring spinning machine illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the drawings.

The spinning machine, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, comprises a suitable frame I. on which a tank or receptacle II is supported in any convenient manner. The tank II is designed to contain hot water which constitutes the bath in which the cheeses I: are put after having been washed as previously described herein. The

cheeses II which are composed of roving wound angularly to hold their form, are rotatably 'supported'in the tank Ii which is provided with a plurality ofupright spindles I: for this purpose,

to enable the slivers to be readily withdrawn from Figs. 2, 3, and '4. Additionalsimiiar guides II It is to be noted that in are mounted on brackets l3 exteriorly of the tank H in contiguous relation to exit openings 19 with which said tank u is provided as illustrated i Figs. 2, 3. and 4.

The illustrated spinning machine includes duplicate drawing units located at opposite sides thereof in predetermined number of groups dependent upon the size of the spinning machine. As the drawing units are duplicates of each other, it is-only necessary to describe the elements of one complete unit which will apply also to all of the others.

As illustrated. each drawing unit consists of two associated pairs of drawing rolls conveniently mounted on the frame I in the preferred manner to be more fully set forth hereinafter. The aforesaid rolls comprise feeding rolls 20 and 2| which may correspond to the conventional feeding rolls of spinning machines, and drawing rolls 22 and 23. As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the means whereby the feed roll 20 and drawing roll 23 are mounted in the machine comprises shafts 24 and 25 joumalled in main bearing members 26 ,and

auxiliary bearing brackets 21. The feeding roll 2! is carried by a shaft 2| which is journalled in the main bearing members 26, and both feeding rolls 29 and 2| are preferably grooved lengthwise as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 4, the grooves being relatively shallow and of easy undulating form in cross-section in contradistlnction to sharp deep serrations for the purpose to be more clearly set forth hereinafter. The feeding roll 2| may be mounted on the shaft 2| or said feeding roll 2| and its shaft 2| may constitute integral parts of each other fabricated from suitable material. The aforesaid is true also of the feeding oll 29 and shaft 24, which roll 29, however, may be otherwise constructed as for instance in the form of a cylindrical shell.

The main bearing members 26 are secured to and extend upwardly at spaced intervals from a cross-beam 28 suitably fixed in the frame l0, and the auxiliary bearing brackets 21 are located between the main bracket members 26 and are carried by a supporting bar 29 wh ch itself is supported by said bearing members For the purposeto be more fully set forth hereinafter the shafts '24 and 25 preferably are mounted so as to permit the rolls 29 and 23 to shift toward and away from the'respective associate rolls 2| and 22. For instance. the shafts 24 and 25 may have their opposite. ends of reduced diameters.

to constitute trunnions 24 and 25 rotatably seated in preferably inclined bearing recesses 30 with which the bearing members 26 and bearing brackets 21 are provided. In the arrangement 11- lustrated in the drawings each shaft 24 carries two feed rolls 20 in axially spaced relation and each shaft 25 has two correspondingly spaced drawing rolls 23 mounted thereon, it being understood that each roll 29 and each roll 23 constitutes part of adjacent and separate drawing units.

In the novel spinning machine illustrated in Fig. 4, the drawing roll 22 is much larger in diameter than the conventional drawing rolls of spinning machines for short fibers, which conventional drawing rolls generally correspond in diameters to the feeding rolls; in the instant machine, the drawing roll 22 is accordingly considerably larger in diame er than the feeding rolls 29 and 2|, asshowninFigs. 3 and 4. The drawing roll 22 of each pair of drawing rolls consists preferably of a metal shell d mounted on a heavy steel shaft or driving cy inder 3| which is 3 suitably supported in the machine as by being mounted in the bearing members 26. The shell d of the drawing roll 22 is grooved lengthwise, as

shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the grooves being of any conventional nature capable of providing the desired gripping action without injury to the fibers. The associated drawing roll 23 is covered with 'a-yielding esilient or elastic material, preferably a very hard rubber, and is arranged to engage the co-operating drawing roll 22 peripherally in such a manner that an efilcient grip will be developed on the fibers without injury thereto. At the same time, the drawing roll 23 exerts a heavy pressure, for instance, in excess of fifty pounds on the contiguous drawing roll 22. To develop the aforesaid pressure the trunnions 25 of the roll 23, as previously stated, are movably mounted in the bearing recesses 30 of the bearing members 26 and the shafts 25 are provided at an intermediate point with circumferential grooves 32 for the reception of the hooked ends of blpartite links 33 which include turnbuckles 34 and are pivotally connected at 35 with one end of rocking members 36. Additional bi-partite links 31 are pivotally connected at 38 with the other end of the rocking members 36 and are in hooked engagement with annular grooves 39 provided at intermediate points on the shafts 24 of the feeding rolls 2|I,said links 31 including turnbuckles 49 as illustratedtin Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The rocking members 36 are pivotally connected at 4| with one end of links 42 preferably in unsymmetrical relation thereto, the other ends of said links 42 being pivotally connected at 43 with levers 44 in off-set relation thereto. The levers 44 in turn are fulcrumed at 45 upon brackets 46 mounted upon cross-beam 2B of the frame III, the levers 44 being provided with a plurality of notches 41 in :proximity totheir free ends in which notches 41 counterweights. are suitably suspended.

With this arrangement the counterweights 48, acting on the levers 44. links 42, rocking members 36 and links 33 and 31, serve to draw the rolls 26 and 23 into engagement respectively with the rolls 2| and 22; because of the unsymmetrical location of the rocking members 36 on the'links 42 theforce developed by the counterweights 48 is exerted mainly on the drawing rolls 23 ,and cause the latter to exert the aforesaid heavy pressure on the associated drawing rolls 22.

Suitable means operable at will is provided for relieving the pressure of the rolls 29 and 23 on the associated rolls 2| and 22 respectively. In the illustrated example, this means comprises rods 49 slidably mounted in guides 50 on the frame III for vertical movement beneath and in registry with the levers 44. .The rods 49 are pivotally connected at 5| with foot treadles 52 fulcrumed at 53 upon the frame l0. Obviously as the treadles 52 are depressed at their free ends, the rods 49 will be adjusted upwardly in the guides 50 into engagement with the levers 44 from below. As the pressure on the treadles 52 is continued, the rods 49 accordingly will swing the levers 44 upwardly on the fulcrums 45 and lift the counterweights 48 to thereby neutralize the effects thereof on the linkage and consequently relieve the drawing rolls 22 from the pressure of the associated drawing rolls 23; at the same time the feeding rolls 2| will be correspondingly relieved of the pressure of the associated feeding rolls 20.

In addition to the parts so far described. the

novel spinning machine may include funnels 54 the conventional manner.

adiustaby mounted by means of suitable clamps 55 onthe cross-beam 2B of the frame it and located beneath and in registry with the drawing rolls 22 and 23 to catch any drippings therefrom. Troughs 56, conveniently mounted on the cross-beam 23 of the frame iii, are located in receiving relation to the funnels 54 to receive the drippings therefrom and to dispose of the same in any suitable manner.

The machine furthermore is provided with the customary plurality of ring spindles 51 rotatably mounted on brackets 58 fixed upon the frame ll, said spindles 51 including pulleys 59 whereby they are rotated on their axes; the spindles 51 are-designed to receive the customary tubular reels 50' for receiving the spun linen yarn in The spindles 51 with their pulleys 59 are arranged upon opposite sides of the spinning machine in the customary manner in co-operating relation to the drawing units, and may be operatively connected in groups of four, that is two on each side of the machine with a suitable source of power. The driving power for the spindles 51 may be derived from a conventional operating drum 6! carried by a shaft 62 mounted in suitable bearings 53 conveniently fixed on the frame Hi, said shaft 62 being driven in any conventional manner. In such case a band 64 passes around the drum GI and over a tension pulley 55 and over the pulleys 53 of the group of spindles 51 in the customary manner.

The tension pulley 55 may be arranged to perform its functions in any convenient manner and-as shown is mounted on a bracket 56 carried by a member 51. The latter is fixed on a carrier 53 fulcrumed on a rod 59 suitably supported on the frame ill and is provided with a weight It whereby the pulley 55 is caused to automatically maintain the band 54 under the desired tension. Splash boards ll terminating along their lower edges in troughs 12 are mounted in co-operating relation with the spindles 51 in the well-known way. The spindles 51 project upwardly through the customary rings 13 of a ring spinning machine and include conventional travellers 13, said rings I3 as usual being mounted in the conventional fixed ring plates or ring rails 14 supported in position in the machine in any well-known way. Separators I such as customarily are embodied in ring spinning machines are arranged and operated in the conventional manner in the novel machine. The latter may further include tubular guides I5 located in operative relation to the feeding cylinders 20 and 2|, and guide eyelets II in mociated relation to the spindles 51 and pivotally mounted at ll upon a bracket rail 15 suitably supported upon the cross-beam 20 of the frame".

In the operation of the novel ring spinning machine the vpartly degummed rovings are unwound from the immersed cheeses l2 and pass over the porcelain guides l5 and I! through the tubular guides '13 to the feeding rolls 2! and 2l..

which serve to continuously feed the rovings to the drawing rolls 2! and 23.

Because of the relatively shallow and easy undulating form of the grooves of the feeding rolls 2' and 2|, the latter develop the strong gripping forces on the partly degummed rovings which are required to emciently cooperate with the intensive drawing forces which are exerted on the rovings, without however at any time bending the fibrils sumciently to break .or otherwise injure the same. Atthe same time. the 7s rolls 2t and 2-! grooved as shown and described efficiently grip the large number of fibrils which are present in the aforesaid rovings.

The rovings pass between the drawing rolls 22 and 23 and because'of the heavy pressure exerted by the drawing roll 23 are pressed firmly against the grooved peripheral surface of the associate drawing roll 22. As a result the rovings as they pass between the drawing rolls 22- and 23' are securely and firmly gripped without being broken or otherwise injured and without developing any slippage relatively thereto.

The efficiency of the feeding rolls grooved as' rovings.

Because the drawing rolls 22 and 23 are rotated faster than the feed rolls 20 and 2|, and because of the fact that the rovings are also firmly and securely gripped between the feed rolls 20 and 2|, the rovings are subjected to an intense drawing action over the relatively small distance between the bight of the feed rolls 20 and 2| indi cated by the line AA and the clamping bight of the drawing rolls 22 and 23 indicated by the line B--B which distance is slightly more than the length of the longest cell in the sliver being acted on. Because of this arrangement and as a result of drawing the roving at the aforesaid short distance, the machine is enabled to develop the drawing forces on the cells of the sliver in contradistinction to exerting the customary drawing forces on the fibers and fibrils as is generally the case in conventional spinning machines.

- cause they are still gummy so that, as a result of the operation of the spindles; a spun yarn of maximum smoothness and. strength is produced. From the drawing rolls 22 and 23 the drawn roving passes through the guide eyelets l1 and through the travellers 13 to the reels 5. on the spindles 51 and is spun into yarn and wound on the tubes 60 as the spindles 51 with the tubes 3| thereon are rotated in the conventional manner. In its finally spun condition, the yarn comprises a plurality of cells bonded together by the residual external gum of the flax which remains between said cells after-the partial degumming thereof. The aforesaid yarn is of maximum strength and smoothness-and possesses all of the inherent characteristics of existing linen yarns of the tow type to an equal or superior degree.

It is to be particularly noted-that in no other I spinning machine is the strong pull developed ess and machine, and which results at least partly which is an essential feature of the instant DIM,

from the fact that the drawing roll 23 exerts a heavy pressure, for instance, in excess of fifty pounds on the contiguous drawing roll 22.

In conventional spinning machines, the drawing rolls'draw on loose fibers (i. e., fibers which are only indirectly held by the iced rolls) and so no specific force need be developed, while in the instant machine, the fibers are positively held between the feed'rolls and the drawing rolls at the-same time, and the latter pull heavily on partly degummed cells, i. e., the drawing process as those skilled in the art will readily under-- stand. Thus it will be observed that instead-of flax fibers, any other fibers similar in constitution to flax with respect to cells-and gum may be used such as hemp fibers, etc. It further will be obvious that instead of roving, the material may be used in any suitable form in carrying out the novel process. Such variations and modifications are considered to be within-the purview and scope of the claims.

1. In the art of producing yarn from flax and similar fibers, the process of producing slivers from the non-'retted straw or plants which comprises decorticating the non-retted strawto preserve the fibers and to remove the pith, carding said fibers to form the same into slivers, doubling a plurality of slivers to convert the same into a single sliver, combing the latter, passing the combed sliver through a plurality of successive drawing operations and through a roving operation, winding the roving into the form of cheeses, boiling said cheeses in an alkaline solution containing caustic soda to partially remove both the internal gum between the fibrils and the external gum between the fibers to a predetermined degree to cause the fibrils to glideon one another when subjected to a pulling force, and washing said cheeses to remove the caustic.

2. In the art of producing yarn from flax and similar fibers, the process of producing a single sliver from the non-retted straw of plants which comprises 'decorticating the non-retted straw to preserve the fibers and to remove the pith, carding said fibers to form the same into slivers, com: blning a plurality of slivers to convert the same into sliver,'boiling said sliver in an alkaline solution containing caustic soda to partially remove both the internal gum between the fibrils and the external gum between the fibers to a predetermined degree to cause the fibrils to glide on one another when subjected to a pulling force.

similar fibers which comprises grouping the fibers, partially degumming said grouped fibers to partially remove both the intemal gum between the fibrils and cells and the external gum bet'ween'the fibers to a predetermined extent, subiecting the partially degummed cells of said grouped fibers while the latter are in a wet condition to intense drawing forces .of relatively short distance to cause the partly degummed cells in the grouped wet fibers to glide on one another, and spinning said drawn grouped fibers into partly degummed yarn.

4. The process of producing yarn from flax and similar fibers which comprises grouping the fibers and converting the same into slivers, partially degumming said slivers to partially remove both the internal gum between the fibrils and cells and the external gum between the fibersof' said slivers to a predetermined extent, subjecting the partially degummed cells in said grouped fibers while the latter are in a wet condition to between the fibrils and the external gum between which comprise partially degumming the'fibers to a predetermined extent, holding the partially degummed fibers in a wet condition at the feed rolls and the drawing rolls at the same time and exerting a drawing force on the cells within the fibers in said wet condition held between said rolls.

7. In the method of producing yarn from the fibers of flax and similar plants, those steps which comprise partially degumming the fibers to a predetermined extent, gripping the partially degummed fibers in a wet, condition at two closely adjacent polnts'simultaneously and exerting a drawing force on the cells within the fibers in said wet condition between said gripping points.

ARTHUR JOB. 

